Water cooling system for a/c unit

ABSTRACT

A water-cooling system for an air conditioning unit is presented. The water-cooling system has a solar panel, a water storage unit and a mist distribution system. The solar panel converts solar energy to electrical energy. The water storage unit has a submersible pump that has at least one intake port and an output hose. The water storage unit has a liquid reservoir may be supplied by a condensation drain of the air conditioning unit. The water storage unit may also have an overflow switch such that the unit can be turned off to prevent overflow into a house for example, or the liquid reservoir from drying up and burning out the submersible pump. The liquid taken in by the submersible pump is delivered to the mist distribution system which supplies the liquid to a plurality of distribution points. When the liquid is received at the distribution points, the liquid is sprayed in a misting pattern onto the air conditioning unit thus improving the performance of the air conditioning unit.

PRIORITY

This utility application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/641,456, filed on Mar. 12, 2018, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to cooling air conditioning units and, in particular, to increasing the efficiency of traditional air conditioning units.

BACKGROUND

Air conditioning units utilize a combination of basic elements such as a compressor, condenser, evaporator and blowers to facilitate the transfer of energy. These components are arranged as a circuit via tubing, with a refrigerant flowing within the tubes to each component in a cycle. The unit cools an interior environment by alternating the physical properties of the refrigerant. The compressor increases the pressure within the section of tubing containing cooler vaporized refrigerant, causing the vapor temperature to increase.

The warmed vapor then passes to the condenser, returning the refrigerant to the liquid phase and discharging heat to the external environment as it cools. In the final step of the cycle, the liquid refrigerant passes to the evaporator which reforms the vaporized refrigerant, thereby pulling energy from the surrounding air and allowing the interior environment to be cooled.

In applying these principles of thermodynamics, the efficiency of the air conditioning unit may be bolstered in terms of both costs and performance by improving the functionality of the unit's basic elements. For example, the efficiency of the unit may be enhanced by broadening the temperature differential of the refrigerant as it enters and leaves the condenser. As found in the prior art, such a result may be achieved by periodically spraying the evaporative condenser with a mist.

However, excess exposure to water can cause problems for the unit, such as freezing the condenser or corrosion of the exterior unit; additionally, unnecessary use of water is both costly and wasteful. Moreover, previous attempts to regulate the amount and frequency of dispersed water have failed to provide a cost-effective means of improving the air conditioning unit's operability. Prior attempts to solve the problem have either been exceedingly expensive to implement and maintain in most A/C units, or over simplified and likely to cause significant damage to the unit.

What is needed, therefor, is a cost-efficient apparatus that improves the performance of the A/C unit y applying mist to the condenser coils in a proper amount and frequency.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features, aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood by reference to the following detailed description, appended claims and accompanying figures, wherein elements are not to scale so as to more clearly show the details, wherein like figures. Wherein, like reference numbers indicate like elements through-out the several views, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is an illustrated view of an embodiment of the apparatus.

FIG. 2 is an illustrated partial section view of the water storage unit.

FIG. 3 is an illustrated top view of one embodiment of the apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an illustrated view of the water-cooling system of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[12] The phrases “in one embodiment,” “in various embodiments,” “in some embodiments,” and the like are used repeatedly. Such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. The terms “comprising,” “having,” and “including” are synonymous, unless the context dictates otherwise. Such terms do not generally signify a closed list.

“Above,” “adhesive,” “affixing,” “any,” “around,” “both,” “bottom,” “by,” “comprising,” “consistent,” “customized,” “enclosing,” “friction,” “in,” “labeled,” “lower,” “magnetic,” “marked,” “new,” “nominal,” “not,” “of,” “other,” “outside,” “outwardly,” “particular,” “permanently,” “preventing,” “raised,” “respectively,” “reversibly,” “round,” “square,” “substantial,” “supporting,” “surrounded,” “surrounding,” “threaded,” “to,” “top,” “using,” “wherein,” “with,” or other such descriptors herein are used in their normal yes-or-no sense, not as terms of degree, unless context dictates otherwise.

Reference is now made in detail to the description of the embodiments as illustrated in the drawings. While embodiments are described in connection with the drawings and related descriptions, there is no intent to limit the scope to the embodiments disclosed herein. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents. In alternate embodiments, additional devices, or combinations of illustrated devices, may be added to, or combined, without limiting the scope to the embodiments disclosed herein.

Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary apparatus 100 for an improved water-cooling system 10 for an air conditioning unit 16 is presented. The system 10 has a mist distribution system 20, a water storage unit 30 and a solar panel 40.

The mist distribution system 20 is communicatively coupled to the water storage unit 30. The mist distribution system 20 periodically sprays the air conditioning unit 16 with mist 12, thereby increasing the efficiency of the air conditioning unit 16. The water storage unit 30 houses a submersible pump 32, which is powered by a neighboring solar panel 40.

As shown in FIG. 2, the water storage unit 30 contains a liquid reservoir 14. The distribution of the liquid reservoir 14 is accomplished by the submersible pump 32, which channels water through one or more intake ports 34 into an output hose 24. The submersible pump 32 is powered by an electrical current from the solar panel 40.

In a preferred embodiment, the submersible pump 32 utilizes a float 38 and a switch 46 to turn the submersible pump 32 to an idle condition when the liquid reservoir 14 is reduced to a level at or below a predefined level. Moreover, the water that replenishes the liquid reservoir 14 originates from an air handler component 52 of the air conditioning unit 16. A condensation drain 50 collects the water from the air conditioner component 52 and distributes the water to the water storage unit 30.

The outlet hose 24 is coupled to an opposite end of the mist distribution system 20. In a preferred embodiment, the mist distribution system 20 is made of water-resistant tubing such as PVC piping.

As further seen in FIG. 3, the mist distribution system 20 has at least one distribution point 22, which sprays an air condition unit 16 with the mist 12 from the water in the outlet hose 24.

Moving now to FIG. 4, the mist distribution system 20 is illustrated in further detail. The mist distribution system 20 is useful for providing the misting of a liquid to the air conditioning unit 16 of FIG. 1. The mist distribution system 20 may be made from PCV piping in a preferred embodiment but may be made from copper, steel, aluminum, etc.

The mist distribution system 20 has a first arm 51, a second arm 53, a third arm 55, a fourth arm 57, a plurality of legs 58, the at least one distribution point 22 and a plurality of footings 59.

The first arm 51 is coupled to the second arm 53 and the fourth arm 57 at opposition ends of the first arm 51. The third arm 55 is coupled on either end of to the opposite end of the second arm 53 from the first arm 51 and to the opposite end of the third arm 55 from the first arm 51. Each of the plurality of legs 58 are coupled on a same side of each of the connections of the arms 51, 53, 55, 57.

Each of the plurality of legs 58 further have one of the plurality of footings 59, such that the mist distribution system 20 can be stable while in use. The fourth arm 57 of the mist distribution system 20 has a center portion 52. The center portion 52 is useful for a coupling of the mist distribution system 20 to the outlet hose 24 coupled to the submersible pump 32 of the water storage unit 30 to receive liquid from the liquid reservoir 14 of the water storage unit 30.

Thus, when in operation, the solar panel 40 collects the energy from the sun and converts the sun's energy collected to electrical energy. The water storage unit 30 has a overflow switch 31. The overflow switch 31 is used to actuate or de-actuate the submersible pump 32 such that the liquid reservoir 14 does not over flow into a house or run dry and burn out the submersible pump 32.

The solar panel 40 supplies the electrical energy to the submersible pump 32 of the water storage unit 30. The submersible pump 32 is actuated by the electrical energy and determines, by the float 38 if the liquid reservoir 14 of the water storage unit 30 has sufficient quantity of liquid to pump to the outlet hose 24.

When the liquid reservoir 14 of the water storage unit 30 has been determined to be above a predetermined threshold, the submersible pump 32 receives the liquid into the intake ports 34. The submersible pump 32 redirects the liquid received into the intake ports 34 to the outlet hose 24.

The outlet hose 24 is coupled to the fourth arm 57 of the mist distribution system 20 at the center portion 52. The liquid pumped into the outlet hose 24 is emitted out of the water storage unit 30 through the outlet hose 24 to the center portion 52 of the fourth arm 57 of the water distribution system 20.

The liquid received at the center portion 52 of the fourth arm 57 of the mist distribution system 20 is distributed to the other arms 51, 53, 55. The arms 51, 53, 55, 57 each have at least one distribution point 22. The liquid is emitted in a streaming pattern 12 from the at least one distribution point 22 to the air conditioning unit 16.

When the submersible pump 32 determines that a predetermined low point has been reached in the liquid reservoir 14, the submersible pump 32 shut off, thus stopping the flowing of water to the outlet hose 24.

In the numbered clauses below, specific combinations of aspects and embodiments are articulated in a shorthand form such that (1) according to respective embodiments, for each instance in which a “component” or other such identifiers appear to be introduced (with “a” or “an,” e.g.) more than once in a given chain of clauses, such designations may either identify the same entity or distinct entities; and (2) what might be called “dependent” clauses below may or may not incorporate, in respective embodiments, the features of “independent” clauses to which they refer or other features described above.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the foregoing specific exemplary processes and/or devices and/or technologies are representative of more general processes and/or devices and/or technologies taught elsewhere herein, such as in the claims filed herewith and/or elsewhere in the present application.

The features described with respect to one embodiment may be applied to other embodiments or combined with or interchanged with the features of other embodiments, as appropriate, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A water-cooling system for an air conditioning unit, the system comprising: a mist distribution system, the mist distribution system for spraying a mist on the air conditioning unit, the mist distribution system having a first arm, a second arm, a third arm, a fourth arm, a plurality of legs and one or more distribution points; a water storage unit, the water storage unit for storing and supplying water to the mist distribution system, the water storage unit have a submersible pump, one or more intake ports and an output hose; a solar panel, the solar panel for supplying converted sun energy into electrical energy to the submersible pump; and when the liquid reservoir being at a predetermined level, the input ports receive the water for the submersible pump outputting the water to the output hose; the output hose being coupled to a center portion of the fourth arm of the mist distribution system; and the mist distribution system distributing the water to the one or more distribution points, wherein the distribution points spray the received water onto the air conditioning unit.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first arm being made of PVC piping.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the second arm being made of PVC piping.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the third arm being made of PVC piping.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the fourth arm being made of PVC piping.
 6. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of footings, the plurality of footing being coupled to each of the plurality of legs.
 7. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a float, the float being for determining a condition of the liquid reservoir; and The float being coupled to the submersible pump, such that the condition of the liquid reservoir is compared to the predetermined level to actuate the submersible pump.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein liquid reservoir being replenished by a condensation drain of the air condition unit.
 9. The system of claim 1, further comprising: An overflow switch, the overflow switch for actuating or de-actuating the submersible pump preventing backup of the liquid reservoir. 